Psalm 62
I love the imagery and metaphors of the Bible and the book of Psalms is chock-full of them. One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 62. It’s delightful to read by taking on the role of a poet tasked with interpretively reading to an audience as it seems to move through several different moods. In part of it, David compares himself to a leaning wall and a tottering fence that his enemies are trying to tear down. David really sounds keenly aware of his own frailty here. Now – did the greatest king of Israel really feel that way? Actually, I think he most certainly did, and I think that’s why this Psalm really speaks to people. Sure, we like to think of ourselves as strong – and as long as everything is going fairly smoothly, we can talk ourselves into believing we are. But life doesn’t go smoothly, does it? Something is always trying to knock us down like we’re some kind of old, beat up, weathered fence. We feel it; deep down we feel our own inadequacies and know we aren’t built for the long haul.
But that’s okay – because our God is not an old worn-out fence. David says here He is a fortress, a rock, a refuge; and in Him, in that fortress, refuge, and rock that He is… in Him – we find rest and salvation!
Compare that with those who are throwing at David everything they’ve got. David has a metaphor for them too – the lowborn are just a breath – the highborn are just a lie. Both of them weigh nothing.
Finally, in a crescendo of faith that cuts through the fluff, David provokes us to think of the one thing God has spoken and the two things David has heard. It finally comes down to strength and love. These two things can sustain us through anything! God is strong enough to take care of us and loves us enough to actually do it. In Him, we will never be shaken!